Machine for decorating manila fiber.



No. 863,906. PATENTED AUG. 20, 1907. c. B. BAILEY.

MACHINE FOR DEGO RTIGATING MANILA FIBER. APiLIOATIOH FILED NOV.19, 1906;

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' PATENTED AUG. 20, 1907.

c. B. DAILB'Y. MACHINE FOR DEGORTIGATING MANILA FIBER.

APPLIOATIUN FILED NOV .19, 1906.

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OAROLUS E. DAILEY, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

MACHINE FOR DEGORTICATING MANILA FIBER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

- Patented Aug. 20, 1907.

Application filed November 19,1908. Serial No. 344,055.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GAROLUS E. DAILEY, a citizen of the United States ofAmer ca, and residing in the borough of Brooklyn, county of Kings, andState of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inMachines for Decorticating Pita and Plants of Similar Fibrous Character,of which the following is a specification.

,My invention relates to machines for decorticating pita, and plants ofsimilar fibrous character, and has particular reference to an improvedconstruction of the decorticating blades.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a cross sec tion of my improvedmachine, on the line 11, Fig. 2; and Fig. 2 is a plan view of themachine.

Referring to the drawings it will be seen that the fibrous substance isfed in the direction of the arrow 5 to the cutting blades 13 and 13 bytwo pairs of revolving rollers 1 and 2, 3 and 4. The table 12 receivesthe fiber as it passes from the rollers to the blades. The blades areformed at the extremities of a series of arms 13 longitudinally mountedupon or integral with the shaft 16.

To accomplish my purpose I have found it preferabl to make one bladewith a smooth cutting or scraping edge 13 and the next with a serratededge 13, and thus alternate the nature of the edges throughout theirnumber. I do not wish to limit myself to this form, however, as it ispossible to use blades all of which are provided with either smooth orserrated edges.

It is desirable to set the cutting blade atan angle to the grain of thefiber so as to simulate as closely as pos sible the sidewise twitchgiven to the scraping knife where the hand process is used. This objectI accomplish by setting the blades 13 on the shaft 16 at an angle toplanes taken'through the length of the axis of the shaft or by curvingthem in the direction of their length as illustrated in Fig. 2. Thelatter construction is particularly advantageous inasmuch as therecurving of the blade tends to keep the fiber in towards the center ofthe table and underneath the blade. Blades of the spiral type tend towork the fiber to one side of the table and over the edge, so that caremust be taken to feed the leaf well to one side of the blade in order tokeep it on the table at all.

A surface in connection with which these blades may act is furnished byconcaving the table or bed 12 at a point 14 directly under the shaft 16.The table may be made vertically adjustable as by means of screws 18.

To secure the proper action of the cutting blades, the shaft 16 must berevolved at a higher speed than the feed rollers 1 and 2, 3 and 4 whichare controlled by change gears 27 and 28. On the operating shaft 8 whichcontrols the speed of the rollers is a large sprocket wheel 19, whichthrough the medium of a connecting sprocket chain 20 and a smallsprocket wheel 21 on the shaft 16, revolves the latter at a rate fasterthan that of the r011 ers 1, 2, 3 and 4, commensurate with thedifference in the diameter of the two sprocket wheels 19 and 21.

To prevent the cleaned and shredded fiber from being whipped up andwound around or snarled upon the revolving blades 13 after it has passedbeneath the same, I mount a pair of revolving rollers 22 and 23 ofrubber or like substance suitably supported in the frame A in a positionsuch that as the fiber comes from beneath the blades 13 it is fed tothese rollers and passed between them to a delivery platform orreceptacle. The flared lip 25 of the table assists the feeding of thefiber t0 the rollers. The speed of revolution of the latter iscontrolled to equal that of the rollers 1, 2, 3 and 4 so that I thefiber shall not be pulled forward more rapidly than it is fed to thecleaning blades. I accomplish this by means of a chain connectionbetween cog wheels 26 and 30 of proper size on the rollers 4 and 22respectively.

The operation of the machine is readily seen Upon imparting motion tothe operating shaft 8, which may be done in any suitable way, as by ahand crank 35, the revolution of the feeding rollers 1, 2, 3 and 4, theblade shaft 16 and the receiving rollers 22 and 23 is at once started.The fibrous material is fed to the rollers l and 2, transmitted by themto the rollers 3 and 4 and thence to the table 12. Reaching the concavedtrough of the latter, it comes within the range of the rapidly revolvingblades, which scrape and shred it, andpass it on to the receivingrollers 22 and 23. It should be pointed out that as the fiber passesunder the revolving blades and becomes subject to the pull of thelatter, the rollers l, 2, 3 and 4 act in the double capacity of feedersand retarders, serving in the latter capacity to hold the fibrousmaterial while the more rapidly revolving blades perform their functionof removing the pulp from the fibers, leaving nothing but clean hemp inthe shape of a. hank or ribbon.

I claim as my invention.

1. In decorticating machines and the like, a revoluble shaft rotating inthe direction of the feed of the material, blade arms thereon curved inthe form of an arc, a concaved bed or table adapted to cobperatetherewith and means for operating said shaft, substantially asdescribed.

2. In decorticating machines and the like, a revoluble shaft rotating inthe direction of the feed of the material, blade arms curved in the formof an arc thereon and alternately provided with straight and serratededges, :1 concaved bed or table adapted to cooperate with said blades,and means for operating said shaft. In decorticating machines and thelike, a revoluble shaft rotating in the direction of the feed of thematerial, blades curved in the form of an arc thereon, a concaved bed ortable adapted to coiiperate with the blades, in combination with meansfor adjusting said blades and conceived bed with relation to each other,and means for operating the blade shaft.

4. 1n dccortieating machines and the like, a revolublc shaft rotating inthe direction of the feed of the material, blade arms curved in the formof an arc thereon, and provided alternately with fiat and serratedcutting edges, in combination with a concaved bed adapted to coiiperatewith said revolving blades and means for operating the blade shaft.

5. In decorticating machines and the like, a revoluble shaft rotating;in the direction of the feed of the material, blade arms curved in theform of an arc thereon, straight and serrated edges provided thereforalternately through out their number, a concaved bed or table adapted tocooperate with said blades in combination with means to receive and holdthe fiber after it has been subjected to the action of the blades andmeans for operating the blade shaft.

6. In decorticating machines and the like, a revoluble shaft rotating inthe direction of the feed of the material,

blade arms curved in the form of an arc thereon and alternately providedwith straight and serrated cutting edges, a concaved bed or tableadapted to cooperate with said blades, in combination with means foradjusting said blades and said concaved bed with relation to each other,means for rotating said blade shaft, means for feeding the fibrousmaterial to the blades and means for receiving and holding the sameafter it has been subjected to the action of the blades.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification, in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

CAROLUS E. DAILEY.

Witnesses CHAS. L. HARRIN, CHARLES A. E. DAILEY.

It is hereby certified that in Letters Patent No. 863,906, grantedAugust 20, 1907 upon the application of Carolus E. Dailey, of Brooklyn,New York, the title of the invention was erroneously written and printedMachines for Decorticating Manila Fiber, Whereas the said title shouldhave been Written and printed Machines for Decortieating Pita and Plantsof Similar Fibrous Character; and that said Letters Patent should beread with this correction therein that the same may conform to therecord of the case in the Patent Office.

Signed and sealed this 15th day of October, A. D., 1907.

EDWARD B. MOORE,

Commissioner of Patents.

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